Since I was young, I had a protruding lower jaw, so I was teased and had a severe complex about it. I got orthodontic treatment to try to prevent it and even had jaw surgery to reduce the length of my chin, but it had no effect at all. Thinking about it now, I should have had double-jaw surgery sooner, even just one year younger, when there would have been less sagging. It feels like such a waste of time and money..
I had consultations at two plastic surgery clinics, and also at two oral and maxillofacial clinics, including Y Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. The plastic surgery clinics only talked about facial contouring, not double-jaw surgery, so I immediately ruled them out. When I came to an oral and maxillofacial clinic, it felt professional. One place kept focusing on money, money, and the consultation itself felt burdensome, so I decided on Y. They didn’t make me feel pressured. They seemed more expert, and since they also have dentistry, I thought it would be good to do orthodontic treatment in the same place too.
On the day of surgery, I closed and opened my eyes and everything was over. After it ended, the director said the surgery had gone well. That one sentence felt really good.. It felt like my worries and anxiety about my jaw were put at ease? Because of the anesthesia and injections, and because the sensation in my lower jaw was dull that day, I had no pain. Breathing was difficult and I couldn’t change posture, so my back hurt like it was going to snap, but rather than pain in my lower jaw, it was just discomfort. I was extremely sleepy from the dazed feeling of anesthesia. Whenever I felt any discomfort, the nurse came right away, and they came and went often, so I wasn’t very worried.
On the second day, the dazed feeling from anesthesia was gone and my mind was clear, but of course the discomfort was still there. After they removed the urinary catheter and blood drain, it was easier to move, so I stretched, wandered around the hospital room for no reason, and because my jaw was gone it felt amazing, so I kept looking in the mirror. I couldn’t open my mouth, so I had to drink water and New Care, but I had no appetite and couldn’t eat much.
On the third day, they removed the IV, I reviewed my progress with the director, and I was discharged after walking well on my own without difficulty. Even if I didn’t ask everything I was curious about right away, the manager answered so well on KakaoTalk that I was discharged without worries.
After discharge, I stayed at my family home, and my stamina had dropped so much that I got out of breath even after walking a little. Still, since walking is said to be good for swelling, I made sure to walk three times a day, for a total of two to three hours that day. My jaw didn’t open well, so even taking medicine was hard, and I had no appetite, so whether it was New Care or pumpkin juice, I could barely get it down and basically felt like I was starving.. I should have eaten more often.. The nasal congestion everyone talks about was really painful. Since I wasn’t in the hospital, I slept more deeply, but I kept waking up. For a day or two after discharge, the swelling wasn’t too bad, so it was okay, but as soon as two days passed, I swelled up so much it felt excessive, like I was about to burst.. When I walked and stayed active, it was better at night, but every morning when I woke up, the pressure in my face was so hard to deal with that I was exhausted. That pressure, it felt like my eardrums would burst, I got headaches too, and I felt like I was dying lol Since this was what I chose.. I endured it with everything I had.. I also had my wisdom teeth extracted, so that pain was severe too..
7 days after discharge, my first follow-up visit! They said I was less swollen than expected, so I was happy. I received swelling laser treatment, and when they looked inside my mouth, I was worried about bad breath because I couldn’t brush my teeth lololol I was so scared when they disinfected inside my mouth.. After disinfection, I asked about my progress and asked what I was curious about, and that was it. My mouth felt so refreshed. I was sad that I still couldn’t have the stitches removed and couldn’t eat.
After the visit, I lived the same way, and my stamina was still the same. Usually I could easily go up to the 3rd floor by stairs, but I kept getting out of breath, stopping, and going again. But I can feel myself gradually getting better! After the first visit, I could brush my teeth too, so I lived in a much better mood. The swelling also didn’t get any worse, so I felt relieved, thinking this must be the peak. From about day 9, the swelling slowly started going down. When I woke up in the morning, it still felt tight and stuffy, but the visible swelling kept decreasing, so living became easier. Looking at reviews after surgery, people called it the brutal 7 days. I relate..
At the second visit, I had the stitches removed, and I feel much more alive. The stitches had been pulling and hurting, but that pain is gone too, and after removing the stitches I can see the swelling has gone down more.
Right now, when I look from the front, the swelling makes me look like a huge potato, so it’s funny and worrying, but the manager said it’s definitely just swelling and not to worry, so I’m reducing the swelling without worrying. The numb sensation and occasional tingling pain are also less than I expected, so I wear a mask and go around just fine.
I should have done double-jaw surgery sooner!